UNBEATEN RUN ENDS

Shire's run of eight successive league victories was brought to an end by leaders Livingston who won the meeting of the top two side 2-0 at Ochilview.

Andrew Halliday gave Livingston a disputed 13th minute lead with a goal the entire Shire defence is adamant was offside.

After skipper Michael Bolochoweckyj had been sent off after 56 minutes for a second booking, Robbie Winters put Livingston 2-0 ahead and that is how it finished.

Coach Jim McInally had few complaints afterwards.

"The only thing you can say about the game was that the better team won," he said.

"It is a great shame because anyone who has watched us regularly this season knows that we weren't ourselves in the first half. I was desperate to get them into the dressing room at half-time only one goal down.

"We started the second half brightly and it looked we were getting back into it when Bolo was sent-off and that gave us even more problems."

A second Livingston goal followed not long after but the coach was pleased the team did not give up hope at whgat appeared to be a lost situation.

"We had a couple of good late chances which, if any of them had gone in, would have made it an interesting last fifteen minutes. The players could have caved in after the second goal but they kept going, which is to their credit."

Livingston are now seven points ahead at the top but Shire still have two matches in hand and Jim says all is not lost.

"We will keep chipping away. I know people will say it would be better to have points in the bag than games to catch-up, but maybe we will win those games in hand and, if we do, then we will only be a point behind. And remember, we still have Livingston to play twice."

Despite the obvious disappointment, Jim says the everyone at the club should stay positive.

"We may have lost, but people should remember we were so out of sorts in the first half that any team in the league would have been leading us at half-time," he said ."We then played most of the second half with ten men but we still had chances to take something out of the game.

"We will move on from this and try to chip away at them. We knew having a First Division team in our league this season was going to make things difficicult but we won't give up the fight."